BANGKOK: Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was cleared on Friday of royal defamation charges, relieving a threat to his embattled political dynasty which has dominated Thai politics for two decades. The 76-year-old had faced up to 15 years in prison, but a Bangkok court found him not guilty of breaching the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste laws criminalizing criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family. “The court dismissed the charges against Thaksin, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient,” his lawyer Winyat Chatmontree told reporters.

Looming ‘lese majeste’ court ruling holds royal reckoning for Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The former PM's lese majeste charge relates to an interview he did with a South Korean newspaper years ago.